Well-known Facts about Will Great writer of England 37 Plays translated into all languages, musicals, ballets Born Stratford-upon-Avon Well-to-do, affluent while alive Most quoted, other than the Bible

Lesser-known Facts Teen father: married pregnant 26 year old Anne Hathaway when he was 18 Deadbeat dad: Left wife and children for London stage career Father of twins Elizabethan rapper: uses rhythm and rhyme “Plagiarism” ?

Conditions in London-BAD! Thames River polluted with raw sewage Trees used up for fuel Poverty

Personal hygiene/health Bathing considered dangerous Body odor strong Childhood diseases Children often died before 5 years Small Pox Bubonic Plague

Small Pox Image

Living Conditions No running water Chamber Pots Open Sewers Crowded                   

Clothes One set used all year long, rarely washed Underclothing slept in, infrequently changed Clothes handed down from rich to poor

Theater in London Performed in courtyards of inns The Theater-first public theater-1576 Daytime/open air Limited set design Relied on music, sound, costumes, props and great description

The Globe Built in 1599 Across the Thames- “Wrong side of town” King’s Players - Shakespeare’s company Penny admission

Actors All men Female parts played by young boys No actual kissing or hugging on stage

The groundling Poor audience member Stood around stage in “the pit” Women not allowed (had to dress up as men to attend) Threw rotten vegetables at bad performances

Queen Elizabeth Bastard daughter of King Henry VIII And Ann Boleyn (2nd of 6 wives) Henry had Ann beheaded for “treason” Younger sister of “Bloody Mary.” “Virgin Queen”? A tease and a player

Her “loving” parents

The Renaissance 1500-1650 “Rebirth” of arts, culture, science Discovery of “New World” Copernicus: Sun-centered Universe (1543) King Henry VIII = renaissance man (ideal) Reformation of Catholic Church

Elizabethan Comedy A Shakespearean comedy is one that has a happy ending, usually involving marriages between the unmarried characters, and a tone and style that is more light-hearted than Shakespeare's other plays.

Other Elements in Shakespearean Comedy: A greater emphasis on situations than characters (this numbs the audience's connection to the characters, so that when characters experience misfortune, the audience still finds it laughable) A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders Separation and re-unification Deception among characters (especially mistaken identity)

Other Elements of Shakespearean Comedy Continued: A clever servant Disputes between characters, often within a family Multiple, intertwining plots Use of all styles of comedy (slapstick, puns, dry humour, earthy humour, witty banter, practical jokes)

Elements of Shakespearean Comedy: Pastoral element (courtly people living an idealized, rural life), originally an element of Pastoral Romance, exploited by Shakespeare for his comic plots and often parodied therein for humorous effects Happy ending